Jacob p



I. P. WRIGHT.

Box FILLING MACHINE.

` APPLICATION FILED APR. 4. 1921. I 1,399,039?. PIIIenIeII DIG. 6,1921.

III l @I III .III

JACOB P. WRIGHT, 0F BARBERTON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE .DAMOND- MATCH COMPANY, 0F CHICAGO, LLINOIS, A CORPORATION OE' ILLNOIS.

B0X-FILLING MACHINE.

.Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 6, 1921'.

"Application filed April 4, 1921. Serial No. 458,255.

'To all 'whom t may concern."

Be it known that l, JACOB P., lNRieH'i, a citizen of the United States, and lresident ot Barberton, in the county of vSummit and State of Ohio, have invented certain Anew and useful Improvements in BOX-Filling- Ma-f chines, of which the followingis a specification.

This invention relates to box lling ymachines, having reference especially to certain improvements in the `box-tray filling mechanism illustrated in Letters Patent of the Uiiited-StatesNo. 1,300,763, dated April i5, i919.

ln thepatented mechanism 'a conveyer for a succession of box-trays is mounted to travel under the slotted lower delivery portion of' conveyer in such wise as to provide a throat member which is designed to gage and limit the level kof the matches between the blade extensions preparatory to the delivery of the matches tothe underlying trays, all as fully set'forth in Patent No. 1,300,763 aforesaid.

In the practical operation of the patented mechanism, particularly when the machine is running at relatively high speed, the matches at the lower end of the hopper' have av tendency to compact within the spaceI between the bottom of the hopper and the overhanging guard structure in such a manner as not only 4to impose-considerable restraint.

on Athe advancing blades, but also to .force the guard structure unduly upward, thereby disturbing the parallelism of the matches and also impairing they accurate measurement of the quantities thereof to be .delivered to the trays.

. YThe object of my invention is toprovide a simple and eiiicient construction which will Vovercome the objection above mentioned;

and to that end l provide at the lower end of 'j the hopper a novel cut-ofi' device whichauto-v matically defines the level of the matches between the blades and at the same time v'coacts with the body of the guard structure to dei-lect the surplus matches upwardand backward and thereby reduce the resistance ofthe matches to the advancing blades, as f will be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawingstion, showing a part of the tray conveyer as supplied with trays and the selecting action upon the matches of the upward extensions of the tray-holding members ofthe conveyer. Y 4

Fig. 2 is al plan of the lower or delivery end of thehopper, and adjuncts. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectionthrough the hopper and conveyer, on the line 3-3 of T1 if ig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of va portion of the guard structure, showing the cut-off device at the lower end thereof."

Referring to the drawings, 10 designates:

an elongated inclined hopper to the upper end of which matches are delivered from a suitable source of supply so as to lievin parallelism within and transversely of the hopper. lThis hopper comprises an inclined bottom-11 having two parallel sides 12 spaced apart kslightly greater than the length lof a match. rlhe lower ends ofthe hopper are horizontally extended, as at 13, `and their outer ends are connected by a transverse end:

plate 14 which` is appropriately :recessedk in its lower edge, as vat 15, for the free passage o the reduced upper extensions 16 of upstanding tray-holding blades 17 on a continuously movable endless conveyer 18. The side extensions and the adjacent part 'of the bottom overhang a horizontal bed or table 19. rllie hopper -is provided with a suitablydisposed slide 20 which is mounted? on aA guide 21 on the table, so as to permitlongitudinal vibration of the hopper. This slide is formed ona bracket 20 lined to the hopper. The hopper is also providedv with depending lugs 22 which embrace an eccentric 23 carried by a shaft 24 which iS driven in any suitable manner, so as to eect the rapid bodily vibrationotthe hopper longitudinally and thus insure the feeding of the Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section, i partly in elevation, of the deliveryend of a l match-feeding hopper embodying my invenmatches therealong from its upper to its lower or discharging end.

The lower end of the bottom of the hopper is provided with a longitudinal slot 25 for the free passage into and from the hopper of the extensions 16 of the conveyer blades. Y This slot is of less width than the length of a match and hence, while the matches in the adjacent part of the hopper are supported at their ends, access through the opening can be had to the matches by the progressing blade extensions of the conveyer as the latter passes about its guide wheel 26 to a horizontal position' longitudinally of the hopper. the conveyer the reduced upper extensions 16 of the blades 17 successively enter the slotted portion 25 of the hopper bottom and' separate approximately measured quantities of matches from the opposing mass; thence as the conveyer progresses the blades stand upright and advance the thus gathered matches along the slotted portion of the bottom and deliver them to the underlying trays, all as described in Patent No. 1,300,763 aforesaid.

27 designates the guard structure which isr arranged to lie within the lower portion of the hopper and overhang the adjacent upstanding blades of the tray conveyer. `This structure comprises an inclined metal strip which is secured at its upper end to the bracket 20 of the hopper. The lower portionof the strip is curved downward, as at 28, and extended horizontally, as at 29, such extension being directly above the outer extremity of the slotted hopper bottom, as seen in Fig. 1. To the underside of the extension is secured a horizontal plate 30, termed a cut-off plate, one end of which is extended beyond the curved portion of the strip so as to provide a tongue or shelf 31 spaced below the body of the strip and lying in close parallel relation to the tops of the progressing blade extensions. 'j This tongue is beveled upwardly from its free end similarly to a wedge, and the undersurface of the plate is preferably transversely'toothed or serrated, as at 32. Such undersurface is positioned in proximity tothe path of the upper edges of the blade extensions and is of suiiicient length to span two adjacent extensions during their travel thereunder. A

,hacker-piece 33 fixed between the walls of the hopper lies in close relation to the/guard extension 29 and thus prevents upward movement of the latter and the cut-o plate 30. j

From the foregoing described construction it will be seen that as the blade extensions, with their contained matches, pass under the beveled end of the plate 30, such end acts to raise the mass of matches which is above the level of the blade extensions, thus performing the function "of a cut=oti` In such travel of member to insure a constant level of the matches coniined between adjacent blade extensions when such `extensions have passed beneath the plate 30. It will also kbe seen-that as the cut-off plate is vibrated longitudinally concurrently with the guard structure and the hopper, the matches thus raised andseparated by the beveled end of the plate `are forced against the curved portion 28 of the structure and that such portion deiects them back against the inclined under side of the structure, thus effecting a continuous return motion or circulation.

of the surplus matches as the conveyer advances, and thereby obviating all liability of the crowding of the matches against and Vin opposition to the motion of the conveyer mounted to extend longitudinally of and overhang-the hopper in a manner to bea-r yieldingly upon the mass of matches during their descent, as described in Patent No.`

1,300,763 aforesaid. Y y j y It is to be understood vthat I do not limit my invention to the'particular details of construction herein disclosed, as theA parts may be modified within the principle'of the `the scope of thevappended In a box-filling machine, thecombina-- tion with a splint feeding hopper, of atray-` conveyer mounted to travel Aunder the Ydelivery `portion` of the hopper and having spaced tray-holding members provided with tip-standing measuring portions adapted to enter the interior of the hopper and transfer splints therefrom to the trays on the conveyer, and a cut-off member mounted adjacent the delivery end of the hopper andA having a tongue extending in close parallelV relation to the top of the said measuring portions as'they progress to the delivery end of the hopper.

Y 2. In a box-filling machine, the combina-l tion with a splint feeding hopper, of a trayconveyer `mounted to travel under the delivery portion of the hopper and having spaced tray-holding members provided with 11p-standing measuring portions adapted toV enter the interior of the hopper and transfer splints therefrom to the trays on the con-V veyer, and aA cut-off member mounted adjacent the delivery-end of the hopperand having a tongue extending in close parallel relation to the top of the said measuring portions as they progress to the delivery end of the hopper, said tongue being beveled upward from its free end.

3. In a box-lilling maehine, the combination with a splint feeding hopper, of a trayconveyer mounted to travel under the delivery portion of the hopper and having spaced tray-holding members provided with 11p-standing measuring portions adapted to enter the interior of the hopper and transfer splints therefrom to the trays on the conveyer, a cut-off member mounted adjacent the delivery end of the hopper and having a tongue extending in close parallel relation to the top of said measuring portions as they progress to the delivery end of the hopper, the under surface of said member being serrated, and the free end of the tongue being beveled, and means for longitudinally vibrating said hopper.

4. In a box-filling machine, the combination with an elongated splint-feeding hopper, of a tray-conveyer mounted to travel under the delivery portion of the hopper, said conveyer having spaced tray-holding members which project above the tops of the adjacent trays, and an inclined guard structure arranged to overhang the conveyer in proximity to the path of said members as they approach the delivery portion of the hopper the lower end of said structure comprising a cut-oft' member having a tongue which underhangs the body of the structure and extends in close parallel relation to the top of the tray-holding members of the conveyer.

5. In a box-filling machine, the combination with an elongated splint-feeding hopper, of a tray-conveyer mounted to travel under, the delivery portion of the hopper, said conveyer having spaced tray-holding members which project above the tops of the adjacent trays, an inclined guardstructure arranged to overhang the conveyer in proximity to the path of said members as they approach the delivery portion of the hopper, the lower end of said structure being curved downwardly and including a cut-off member which extends below and beyond the curved portion oit' the structure and in close parallel relation to the top of the trayv holding members of the conveyer, said cutoff member being beveled upward from its free end toward the curved portion ofthe guard structure, and means for longitudinally vibrating said hopper.

Signed at Barberton, in the county of Summit and State of Ohio, this 31st day of March, A. D. 1921.

JACOB P. WRIGHT. 

